When the barons of England extracted from their sovereign liege the reluctant promise that that Crown

would thenceforth not

proceed against the life liberty or property of any of its subjects except by the lawful judgment of his peers or the law of the land,
they thereby won for themselves and their progeny that splendid guaranty of fairness that is now the hallmark of the free society.
The solemn vow that King John made at Runnymede in 1215 has since then resounded through the ages, as a ringing reminder to
all rulers, benevolent or base, that every person, when confronted by the stern visage of the law, is entitled to have his say in a fair
and open hearing of his cause.